zantique

[noisyghost]

i’m still learning anatomy myself so i wouldn’t use this as more than just a general tip but…. I am fascinated by speculative monster anatomy and this is something i discovered years ago and thought i would impart amongst my fellow monster enthusiasts :)

mind you, the second set of pectorals can look kind of funky so i understand aesthetically why people would prefer not to draw them but! if you are someone interested in anatomy, i think this is a thing people dont really think about when giving their OCs wings/extra limbs and i think it’s kind of neat!

[zantique]

I Added color! And I need to find more tutorials on color. 😓 #art #digitalart #clipstudiopaint #originalcharacter https://www.instagram.com/p/B7AKmPfnQ16/?igshid=13rwkye3a0hmo

[zantique]

Thought I'd be done painting this last night but fell asleep. I'll finish when I get back home. #digitalart #sketch #art #clipstudiopaint https://www.instagram.com/p/B6-bcV-nYwx/?igshid=7xpz9ebl6me6

[zantique]

I still wanted to draw something , but I couldn't come up with anything so did a portrait of a girl from Reddit. Computer crashed 3 times while doing this. #portrait #digitalart #digitalpractice #reddit 😑😑😑😑 https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs7GCRhh5j8/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=costnsm4tohg

[zantique]

*Long post* I was looking through Tumblr and this morning before work and I didn't like my banner. So I'm redesigning it. I've practicing hands lately and studying up on compositions, I want incorporate that. I need to stop taking these Long Ass Breaks😥😥 #digitalpainting #artistsoninstgram #sketch #redesign #longpost #clipstudiopaint https://www.instagram.com/p/BrrERTFhVSK/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=mlraxwq9efj2

[zantique]

Just a really rough sketch I did. I'm tired of not drawing, but I'm sleepy. https://www.instagram.com/p/BqygDpsB1lm/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=89yv1j7kog3i

[idledee]

Do you have any tips for composition?? I'm a beginner on that and I really love the way you do it

thank you! (again ive never had any real training in any of this) but i would say! know your basic composition rules/template things- golden ratio, golden spiral, etc, first of all. For me personally, i draw a lot of wide open spaces/backgrounds so MOST of my composition are rule-of-thirds ( i really should try the spiral more often). 

second, think about line balances/unbalance. it’s about the mood you want to set. for example, with the first drawing i wanted a very laid-back tranquil mood, so i wanted a sense of balance with my composition with the upward slope of one hill being canceled out with the downward slope of the second. for the second one, however, i wanted some energy, so i sought to create an upset with the lines.

third, i’d consider color balances/ imbalances. colors have SO much say in where your eye travels around the picture (and also im a color FREAK). you can use darker colors to frame a picture if your piece feels too big and empty and you want the focus to narrow down without actually making the canvas smaller:

if you want the viewer’s eyes to just travel around the picture and take the whole thing in, distribute colors evenly throughout the canvas. (sorry it’s so messy, but you get the point) think about the distribution of hue, saturation, and darkness/lightness.

if you want them to focus on that ONE thing, you can concentrate saturation, brightness, warmness etc to make the area pop. i used all three in these drawings!

also! @genicetea has some NEEAATT stuff on drawing the viewer’s eye and contrasts and composition on her twitter so if you want something that actually makes sense go there!

hope that helps a little! and sorry for the long post but you all should really expect that by now :’)

[zantique]

I’m in Need of Composition tips.

[mindpalacestudy]

ideas of exercises to help with your practical art skills, as well as things to keep in mind while making art and new ways to find inspiration:

draw every day

recreate a drawing you did before, but better

draw something using only simple geometric shapes

do studies of famous artworks

listen to artists explain their work, it’s super interesting

take life drawing classes (or use online photo resources)

find an artwork you love, and work out why

draw caricatures of friends

set a 1 minute timer and draw an object as quickly as possible

draw something you can’t see, eg. music, emotion

research artists you admire and find out how they work

think about composition: what stands out, what recedes etc.

find a famous artwork you hate and work out why

sit outside and draw the landscape

copy a photo exactly

draw a scene from a film

draw the contours of an object not the outline

visit an art exhibition near you

draw your bedroom

look up tutorials online - there’s so many useful ones!

practise creating contrast between light and dark in pictures

research colour theory

do a self portrait

learn about art history! Research different movements etc.

try a new medium

consider the feeling you want to portray with the artwork

draw without looking at the page

draw a character from a book you’ve read

draw something you don’t usually draw

look at your pictures in the mirror to help you see problems better

follow artists and galleries on instagram for inspo

draw an ugly object in a beautiful way

try using only bold, bright colours

plan your colour palette before starting an artwork, and stick to it!

if you usually work in 2D, make something in 3D

always remember to add shadows

draw an object which is important to you

use 5 lines to depict an object, make every line count

draw using negative space

always draw from life when possible!

think carefully about which direction the light is coming from

study proportions and anatomy!! 

draw your pet

research items symbolic meanings in art

make an art blog to compile images that inspire you

draw using only straight lines

try accentuating any subtle colours in an image

draw models from fashion websites

sketch with friends! They always have great ideas

keep drawing even if you find it hard, you improve with every mistake!

{my art masterpost might also be useful to you} 

Good luck! xx

[leenalecklin]

It's no problem, you deserve all the praise with your hard work! Do you actually have any advice to share on beginner animators like myself? And which programmes to use to make animating easier?

Hiya! Sorry to take so long to reply! I’ve been under a huuuuge workload the past months, and I when I finally got more time for myself I was just too tired to do anything else than simply rest. But here it is! I listed couple things I could think about how to think when you animate. Of course this is only my personal list, so I understand if someone disagrees.

It goes a bit in-and-out the range of actually animating things - but I feel like there cannot be one without the other, so here we go! 

Hopefully this will be helpful!

1) Animating is SLOW

The biggest advice I can give is that animation is not easy. It’s hard. It’s tedious. It’ll always take like double the time you think it will. And that’s not on a scale of hours, but days and weeks. You think your scene will take 3 days to rough out? It’ll probably take 6. You think you can clean it up in 1 week? Book in 2,5. Just get some coffee and continue. It’ll be there. Eventually.

2) Take breaks

After a while you’ll become blind to the animation you’re making, so remember to take breaks. Take 30 min break, and when you get back to your animation and play it through you can usually spot a thing or two you just couldn’t see before. It’s also good for your body - I have to admit I tend to sit at my desk way too long hours, but I’m trying to get better.

3) Work out

I feel like I say this every time, but be considerate of your body. I’ve seen so many people having problems with their wrists and elbows, and the best thing to prevent those is to exercise. It also clears your head and ALMOST prevents you from getting sleepy while animating.

4) Start loose

I tend to start with really loose thumbnails in order to get the movement I want. Sketch those thumbnails in so loose that only you can tell what’s happening. You want to feel the movement, making the character pretty comes later. If I start with the construction, I realize half way that the character moves more like a machine than a living thing. Of course this is different for everyone. Some people can be like super humans and draw the final line in one try - I’m not one of them.

5) Kill your babies

Don’t be scared to ditch something that doesn’t work. Of course you want to keep the perfect looking key that you used so much time to finish, but if the movement doesn’t flow, it’s fine to get rid of it. You can use it as a base for your new better drawing

6) Toon Boom vs. TVPaint

These are the two programs I’ve used for 2D animation (+ Photoshop, but that was a bad idea). I actually started with Toon Boom and learned about TVPaint only later. I really like both of the programs, but they have some significant differences.

Toon Boom

Toon Boom is really advanced, bit confusing, originally vector-based 2D animation program. It’s really good, but learning to use it is bit of a work. I started with Toon Boom, and I’ve done most of my personal animations with it. My favorite part of the program is the vector line. You can tweak the line, resize, recolor, do almost anything you want even after you’ve finished your animation. Of course sketching with vector doesn’t feel as good as sketching in Photoshop, but nowadays the newest Toon Boom has been really improving with the feeling of the drawn line and they have even introduced bitmap based layers.

TVPaint

TVPaint is bitmap based program and much easier to learn than Toon Boom. It’s basically Photoshop with proper timeline and light table. The bad thing about it is that if you want to change something after drawing the frame, you better draw the whole frame again. It does feel much more natural to rough out the animation than Toon Boom though. Also the timeline and light table are better than the ones in Toon Boom. If you want to just find an animation program to start with, I guess TVPaint is a better choice. I did start with Toon Boom though, so can’t say learning it would be impossible. It just needs slightly more work.

[elvi-loci]

How to do “extra” facial expressions!

Drawing basic facial expressions is not the hardest. Most people can draw a sad face, a happy face, angry etc., but making more multidimensional expressions is more of a challenge. I have gotten a lot of compliments on how I draw facial expressions, (specifically “angsty ones”) telling me that they are very dramatic and well… expressive! And there are actually only a few things I think about when I draw faces that take them to the next level, so I thought i’d illustrate them all here!

SUPER IMPORTANT TIP BEFORE WE START: Look at your own face when you draw faces. Even making the face when you are drawing (you don’t even have to look at it), will give you some sense of how the face muscles pull and where things fold and stretch, because you can feel it. You are the best reference when it comes to facial expressions!

Angles 

Draw the head in an angle that matches the expressions you want to make. It is not a requirement, but is going to add to the effect.

Symmetry vs asymmetry 

A face is rarely symmetric. Unless the face the character is making is 100 % relaxed or even dissociating, the eyebrows, mouth and facial muscles will have different placements of their respective side. This image shows the dramatic impact asymmetry has on a face: 

That’s the difference between a smile and a smirk!

The first one’s like “oh yeah?” and the second is like “oH YEAH??”

The “balloon squishing principle”

This is something I did subconsciously, and I didn’t know about until I made this tutorial. And this principle goes hand in hand with an asymmetric face. Basically, if you squish one part of the face, you need to even out the empty space by “inflating” the other part of the face so that it doesn’t appear shrunken. The picture hopefully explains it:

Teeth 

Don’t forget to add the gum when the mouth is open to its full potential!

Squinting and folding

Adding folds around the eyes when a character is squinting makes a HUGE difference. It makes a smile more genuine and a growl more intimidating. Adding folds to the face in general makes your characters more lifelike and ‘visually relatable’. Like, they look human, and less plastic or fake.

and so on..

Pupils and irises 

The placement of the iris and pupil in relation to the eyelids is very important! The less of the white you see, the more relaxed the character is. 

And then of course eyebrows and eyes go hand in hand!

Gestures, spitting, sweating… 

Adding more elements than just a face is key to making the character actually look like they are feeling what you want them to feel. Just the tiniest sweat drop adds to their anxiety, spitting adds frustration to their rage, slouching shoulders, waving hands, a double chin, extreme angles, the list goes on! Add whatever and see what kind of impact it makes! Does it do the trick? Great! Add it! 

Over exaggeration!! 

Remember that you can almost always exaggerate more. Don’t be afraid to do draw “too much” because you’re just experimenting. See what works and what doesn’t. What do you like to exaggerate?

Now that you know some theory, it’s time to practice!

Practicing!! 

The 25 Essential Expressions (a classic! I’ve done it multiple times)

And the one I do when I’m bored:

Fill a page with circles and fill them in with different expressions. Try and exaggerate as much as you can! 

This is mostly for experimenting. They are quicker to draw than complete faces, but the same rules should apply!

And that’s about it!

I don’t know if I covered everything in this tutorial, since some things might be obvious for me, and this post perhaps only scratches the surface. So feel free to send me a message if you want an explanation about something more in depth! Thank you for reading! And now DRAW!!! ✨🎨

[zantique]

This was project 1 of Hardy Fowler's faces course. The it looks on neck is how it should look on face but I added to skin color to it and messed up highlights. #artpractice #art #photoshop #digitalpainting #digitalpractice #skillshare #hardyfowler https://www.instagram.com/p/BnP2-9znKtx/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=x4c1f5due3l3

[zantique]

Lol okay I messed up some where I'm sure of it I'm not doing her justice. I'm sleepy now. #tatigabrielle #clipstudiopaint #digitalpainting #workinprogress #mistakes #the100 #fanart https://www.instagram.com/p/BnC7excH7-f/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=8ttlecaszxtx

[etheringtonbrothers]

For those of you that like everything neatly organised, here’s links to EVERY ONE of my first 150 how to THINK when you draw TUTORIALS, in ALPHABETICAL ORDER for #SkillUpSunday! Enjoy, link, pin, share! Cheers! Lorenzo! How to draw ANGRY EXPRESSIONS How to draw BIRD HEADS How to draw BOOKS How to draw BOXES How to draw BREAKING GLASS How to draw BRICKWORK How to draw CABLES and WIRES How to draw CAR CHASES How to draw CATERPILLAR TRACKS How to draw CAVES How to draw CHARACTERS (3-SHAPES) How to draw CHARACTERS (FLIPPED-SHAPES) How to draw CHARACTER SHAPES How to draw COMIC COVERS How to draw COMPOSITION How to draw CROSS-CONTOURS How to draw EARS How to draw FABRIC How to draw FEET & SHOES How to draw FEMALE HANDS PART ONE How to draw FEMALE HANDS PART TWO How to draw FOREGROUND MIDGROUND BACKGROUND How to draw GAME BUILDINGS How to draw GEMS and CRYSTALS How to draw GIRL’S HAIR How to draw GRASS How to draw HAIR (1940s styles) How to draw HAPPY EXPRESSIONS How to draw HORNS How to draw HORSE HEADS How to draw IMPACT DEBRIS How to draw IN 3D How to draw INTEGRATING LOGOS How to draw INTERIOR BASICS How to draw IN-WORLD TYPOGRAPHY How to draw JUNGLE PLANT CLUSTERS How to draw JUNK HOUSES How to draw LAMP POSTS How to draw LAVA How to draw LIGHTNING and ELECTRICITY How to draw MECHANICAL DETAILS How to draw MUSHROOMS and FUNGUS How to draw MONSTER HEADS How to draw MONSTER TENTACLES How to draw MOUNTAINS How to draw NEGATIVE SPACE How to draw NEWSPAPERS How to draw NOSES How to draw PERSPECTIVE BOXES How to draw PIGS How to draw POD HOUSES How to draw POURING LIQUID How to draw ROBOT ARMS How to draw ROCK FORMATIONS How to draw RUNNING FIGURES How to draw SAUSAGE DOGS How to draw SEA WEED   How to draw SHADOW COMPOSITION How to draw SHOULDER ARMOUR How to draw SIEGE WEAPONS How to draw SILHOUETTE THUMBNAILS How to draw SMOKE EFFECTS How to draw SNOW How to draw SPACE BIKES How to draw SQUIRRELS How to draw STICK FIGURES How to draw THE HORIZON How to draw TIKI STATUES How to draw TREASURE CHESTS How to draw TREE BARK How to draw TREE ROOTS How to draw VEHICLES How to draw VINTAGE PLANES How to draw WATER How to draw WOODEN HOUSES

[zantique]

So much knowledge!

[zantique]

Alright I did this and it looks way different from what I started with. #art #digitalart #starvstheforcesofevil #hekapoo

[character-creation-resources]

Calling all artists!

If your commissions are open and you do draw OC’s, please reblog this post! 

If you are not an artist but know of one, please reblog this and tag them or just mention their url in the tags! 

And hey, even just reblogging helps! I will be keeping a comprehensive list of artists who can be commissioned to draw characters/OC’s on the blog!

[scottyartz]

Yes I am an artist, I draw OCs, and my commissions are always open :)

[takun-is-dope]

I draw oc’s. Throw your money at me

[zantique]

i’m an Artist i don’t do commissions Yet. but wanted join the fun!

[zantique]

My hand is always shaky when taking a picture on my phone. #clipstudiopaint #art #digitalart #workinprogress

[sakimichan]

I’m luving Brigitte, newest Hero from overwatch!She’s super cute and fit<3 My take on her at the gym with her team mates <3  sfw/nsfw,PSD+3-4k HD jpg,steps, etc>https://goo.gl/WsG1oH

[zantique]

Those Abs :D me like.